Wildlife TV presenter Steve Backshall has warned people to be wary of killer coconuts.
The Deadly 60 star insists people need to stop worrying about animal attacks because statistically you have more chance of perishing from one of the falling shell fruits than you do from being killed by a shark or some other creature.
He said: “On average, about one person a year is killed by a great white, fewer than 10 by all shark species combined. More people are killed annually by falling coconuts.”
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Steve, 51, has swam with great whites and crocodiles for his TV shows and he now considers himself a shark whisperer because knows how to interact with the sea creatures and calm them.
He explained: “I’ve been privileged to have shared encounters with many aquatic animals.
“I’ve swum with giant crocodiles, been followed by sharks, gone down in deep-sea submersibles in search of the most bizarre creatures on the planet.
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“I’ve lived and worked with animals for most of my life and have arrived at a point where I can get in the water with a great white shark and feel safe. That’s just as well because animals can pick up on the signals you send out, and particularly on fear.”
Steve doesn’t worry about meeting his fate in the wild just like the Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, who was killed in a stingray attack in September 2006 at the age of 44.
He said: “That was pure fluke. Stingrays are as good as harmless but Steve’s misfortune was that he was pierced through the heart, a terrible tragedy but a one-in-a-billion incident.”
A scary animal encounter from Steve’s past involved a male silverback trying to punch him in the testicles as he was filming in Uganda.
He previously revealed: “I’ve been punched by a gorilla. I was in Uganda in the mountains and I got punched about a hand’s width away from my family jewels.
“This male gorilla came stampeding out towards me, swung a massive punch and I just twisted my body at the last second and it hit me on the leg.
“If it had hit me where he was aiming for it would be a very different story.”
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